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Feds accuse Florida officials of housing disabled children in nursing homes
Posted: Sep 6, 2012 6:41 PM by Ophelia Young
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Federal investigators say Florida officials are violating federal law by unnecessarily warehousing hundreds of children with disabilities in nursing homes.
The Department of Justice sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday, saying they visited six nursing homes around the state and identified numerous children who didn't need to be in nursing homes and "would benefit from moving home with their families or other community settings."
Federal officials concluded the state has made it difficult for children to access medical services that would allow them to move home.
According to the letter, Florida's system has led to "unnecessary segregation and isolation of children, often for many years, in nursing home facilities."
Bondi's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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